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Wednesday, December 7, 2011

(Ed. Note: Since Megabus sucks, this Pregame Beat was shortened. Thanks for the horrendous experience on back-to-back days, Megabus. I certainly won't be back.)

Game of the night: 7:00 pm: Arizona @ No. 12 Florida

How long is Sean Miller going to put up with Josiah Turner? For the second time this season, Turner will be missing a game because he couldn't be bothered with showing up for a team a function. The talented freshman point guard sat out -- but wasn't suspended -- against Duquesne earlier this season for showing up late to a team meeting. And now, after missing a practice this week, Turner was left back in Tucson as the Wildcats head to Gainesville to take on Florida.

Without Turner, Arizona is going to have to count on Nick Johnson and Jordin Mayes to handle the point guard responsibilities. Both Johnson and Mayes are quality basketball players, but neither or them are natural point guards. That could be a problem as they go up against Florida tonight, a team with a terrific quartet of back court players. The good news for Florida is that Erik Murphy is expected to be back in the lineup. His size and ability to shoot from the perimeter is going to be tough for Arizona to handle, especially since they are going to have to deal with Patric Young, who is slowly but surely becoming a heavy-load on the block.I think a cross-country trip while dealing with the distraction of Turner's suspension is going to be too much for this young Arizona group.

Who's getting upset?: No. 8 Xavier

The Musketeers head into Hinkle Fieldhouse tonight at 9:00 pm to take on the Butler Bulldogs. Butler has struggled quite a bit this season, as they are a young group that is still looking to find the consistency and late-game execution that made them such a good team the past couple of seasons. And while Xavier has won their last two games in impressive, come-from-behind fashion, they haven't exactly done it while playing great basketball. Butler's due, Ronald Nored locks up Tu Holloway who finally misses a shot in the clutch and Butler gets the win. For what its worth, every time these two programs get together, its an entertaining game. Remember this?

Mid-major matchup of the night: 8:00 pm: Ohio @ Oakland

Oakland owns a win at home over Tennessee. Ohio went into Marshall and knocked off the Thundering Herd. Oakland has Reggie Hamilton. Ohio has DJ Cooper. These are two teams that are going to compete for their league titles and will be a threat to anyone they face in the NCAA Tournament. It will be worth the watch.

Be sure to keep an eye on:

7:00 pm: No. 15 Alabama @ Dayton: I know Dayton has fallen off the map in their last two games, but the fact of the matter is that this is a team with some talent on their roster that plays in a loud arena and matches up fairly well with the Crimson Tide. Alabama likes to get physical defensively, but the Flyers aren't the kind of team that gets pushed around to easily.

9:00 pm: St. Bonaventure @ No. 22 Illinois: The Bonnies have struggled early in the season, but they do have an NBA prospect manning the center position in Andrew Nicholson. Illinois has their own NBA caliber center in Meyers Leonard. The Illini have been surprising early in the season, but if they don't show up ready to play, the Bonnies are good enough to pull off an upset.

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